With a good home theater PC, you can play just about anything—though Netflix has always been a bit difficult. A new XBMC add-on called NetfliXBMC makes the process simpler and more streamlined than ever. Here's how to set it up.

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There have been a few Netflix add-ons out there, but because Netflix uses Silverlight and some tight DRM, it's always been hard to integrate with XBMC. NetfliXBMC, created by user AddonScriptorDE is the best add-on we've seen yet, and it only takes a few minutes to set up.

What You'll Need

Unlike other XBMC add-ons, it's not as simple as installing the add-on and running it. You'll want to download a few things before you start:

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XBMC 12 "Frodo" running on Windows, OS X, or Linux. We're going to use Windows in this guide, but
will note where those differences are. If you're using our $500 media center build or something similar, this guide should get you through the process very smoothly. Linux users will need to install Pipelight as described on the add-ons page.

Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer. NetfliXBMC requires a browser to play videos, so you'll need one of these installed (Firefox is not currently supported). We're going to use Chrome in this guide.

A Netflix account. For obvious reasons.

Step One: Install Chrome Launcher and NetfliXBMC

You'll need two add-ons to get this working, and you won't find them in the default XBMC repository. So, to install them:

Open XBMC and head to Settings > Add-Ons > Install from ZIP file. Choose the ZIP file you just downloaded and it should install the repository.

Head to Get Add-Ons and choose AddonScriptorDE's Testing Repo. If there isn't anything in it, head back to the Get Add-Ons Menu, press the "c" key to bring up the context menu, and choose "Force Refresh." If you head back to AddonScriptorDE's Testing Repo, you should see a list of categories.

Head to Program Add-Ons and select "Chrome Launcher." Press Enter and install the add-on.

Once Chrome Launcher is installed, head back to the category list and go to Video Add-Ons. Choose NetfliXBMC and install it.

Now, you should have all the necessary add-ons installed and you can continue to the next step.

Step Two: Configure NetfliXBMC

Next, you'll need to set up NetfliXBMC to work with your Netflix account and other preferences. Head to Videos > Video Add-Ons in XBMC, highlight NetfliXBMC, and press the "c" key to bring up the context menu. Choose "Add-On Settings" to get started. Here are some things you may want to tweak:

Account > Email and Password: Enter your Netflix credentials here.

Account > Single-User Account: If you have multiple profiles on your Netflix account, you'll want to de-select this (otherwise your browser will ask you every time, which isn't easily controllable with the remote). If you have multiple users using Netflix on the same XBMC machine, select the "Show Profile Selection on Each Start" option, which will ask you which user is watching every time you use the add-on.

Once you've gotten this set up, head into NetfliXBMC and try playing a movie or TV episode. If you experience problems, try fiddling with the settings to get it working, or check out the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this post.

If you can get a video to play, it's time for the last step: setting up your remote.

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On Windows, NetfliXBMC has a little helper app that runs in the
background and maps the keys you specify to Netflix's built-in
shortcuts. Head back to NetfliXBMC's settings, go to the Advanced tab, and head to Configure Control Utility. From there, just enter the keys you want to use for each task. You may have to look up which keys are mapped to which buttons on your remote to do this—though XBMC's default keyboard shortcuts are a good place to start.

We haven't tested the Mac and Linux versions, so check out NetfliXBMC's forum post for more info on controlling Netflix with your remote. Usually it just involves installing a small app separately and mapping your keys, just like the Windows instructions above.

If You Have Issues

NetfliXBMC is still very much in the early stages, but in our tests, it worked quite well. However, depending on your setup, you may or may not experience issues. Make sure you've read this entire guide word-for-word, as well as the NetfliXBMC forum post. If you still have questions, that thread is the best place to ask them, especially if it's the result of a bug that the developer needs to fix. He's extremely responsive, so don't be afraid to let him know if you're having trouble! Good luck!